New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-01
AN AMERICAN NOVEL.
A PHASE OF LIFE IN CALIFORNIA.

Houghton Mfiin q Co.
Tn "1he Feud Of Oakfeld Creek Mr.. Royc'
has given us a genuine American novel. Not
only Is the scenery proper to the Country the
local color in general strong and distinct ano
tho dialect natural and true, but the character
themselves, both high and low are such as Ii.
other land than ours could have produced ano
the story is one of which no other land could
have been the theatre. We may so further ano
say that the incidents and personages would seem
credible placed nowhere but in California. Mr
Royce, however, has not busted himself with the
romance of rufhanism. That phase OF life on the
Pacific slope he wisely leaves to the brilliant
author whose genius first made it popular and
who Is quite capable Of extracting from 1t all the
literary material it is rich enough to furnish The
new novelist takes the sunset civilization at q
higher plane, when the pioneers and fortunate
mining Spectators have become luxurious and
respectable and are trying to be cultivated and
public-spirited, without yet cutting aloof from
their old Bohemian associations. There is nothing
just like recent San Francisco society in all the
world. Mr.. Royce knows it to the bottom.
native Of the State, his opportunities for obser
walton have been ample and his appreciation OF
what is best In California is warm, but while he
Is thus familiar with the inside of the subject
he has very keen sense of what ii looks like
from without, and he has not the least timidity
in stating his impressions Merely as social
study his novel is one OF the most successful OF
the season. 1t is not less remarkable for the
lively presentation of individual character Alon
20 Eldon, the ripcned pioneer and millionaire
equally ready for a hard business operation or q
fine deed of generosity, fighting miserable land
title for years with handful of poor settlers
and meditating the gift of twenty-five millions tc
the city to buy for 1t outright sch OF literary.
scientific and art collections superior to anything
In the universe, is a delightful figure; we should
call him q wonderful creation If he did not seem
rather like an exact portrait although of course
nobody could identify him. Eldon's idea that
culture in any amount can be imported from
Europe ready made is treated with delicate hu
NOR All his peculiarities of manner are deity
employed as illustrative touches of the most
effective is the change in his style Of speech with
changes in his mood-a habit perfectly appropriate
to o man who, having got rich in mature life, |
has thought ii necessary to keep best phraseolo
gy like best coat and finds neither comfortable
He Is grim but attractive old man, and the
reader will regret the defeat Of his best impulses
and the destruction of his unselfish ideals, which
leave him the chief but most innocent sufferer |
in the final tragedy.
Two other actors In the story stand out with |
exceptional dstinctness. These arc All Escott the
shabby drudging, fiery, quixotic, unsuccessful old
writer for the press, and Boscowitz the cosmo-
politan adventurer, who has become proprietor, |
publisher and nominal editor of 1.-The San Fran
cisco Warrior" Neither of these characters |
is new in literature but they are developed with
a freshness and vigor OF detail which make them |
seem like acquaintance and both exhibit |
traits which are entirely Californian. Escott |
md Eldon have been close friends; they have |
become bitter enemies, and their hostility takes
nm added sting from the fact that each at least
pherishes of the old feeling for the other |
but hates him all the same. The feud over the |
OalSfield Creek land titles is really feud be |
tween these two men. Escott having made him
Self the champion of the settlers and it is owing
TO complication in their personal relations, fol
which shall refer the reader to the book itself,
that after reconciliation has been effected the
quarrel is renewed and pushed to bloody con-
clusion Boscowitz is fascinating study in un-
redeemed rascality, and the sketch of his abomna
BILE paper, which supplied wicSedness to the better
classes is perfect. Metropolitan cities are TOO
large for such journals the small towns are too
innocent; they need a community where scanda-
lous innuendo tells because it is understood, and
where the public taste demands liberal improperly.
Boscowitz, of course, was not respected but the |
feeling became widespread in San Francisco that
ywhether you believe what he says or not, some |
how you've got to read The Warrior sit
was q singular and most diabolcal combination |
this paper of clcverness wisdom and taste, with
immortality Of many Sorts political and social, and
even on occasion with positive indecency." 1t is
n shrewd remark of the authors that Boscowitz |
set high and proper value upon his good articles,
and took care that they should preponderate heav
lily over the bad OF his correspondence in par.
ticular "you never knew whether what was next
to meet your eye would be poetcal or scandalous,
scholarly or nasty, profound or degrading high
tragedy or low jest. Therein lay, in fact, the Sc
cret of this journals literary successes. Its read
ers had no desire TO know such things in advance
obey bought their paper because it was literary.
Ut it amused them by little indeceney now and
then, so much the better
:, In two Of the most important actors in thu
story, William Harold and the wife Of Monzos son,
young Tom Eldon, we cannot take much pleasure
Margaret Eden lives on terms of clvilty Will
her husband, but she dislkes him, not without
reason, and she falls in love with Harold. This
is never an agreeable situation in novels, and
Mr. Royce fondles it altogether too much. 1t is
only by effusion Of false sentiment that we can
be asked to sympathize with a wife in such
case, or to look upon the male lover anything
better than villain Yet this guilty couple 60 on
playing with their sim kissing and condoling
with each other long after they are aroused to
their danger and their duty, and when, after
causing a number of deaths and other miscries,
they are dismissed to solitary desolation, we are
apparently expected to pity them. We cannot
do ID. Old Mr.. Eldon has been warned Of the
intimacy between Harold and his daug hter-in-law,
and he proceeds, in as mild way as he knows
how to use, to question her about it. Margaret
replies with Indignation which, unless we have
strangely misunderstood Mr.. Royce. is meant to
be genuine and imposing. What is 1t. however,
but mock heroicsi II the author seems 10 forget
for the moment that Eldon's suspicious are sub
stantiay just. the reader certainly does not for
get it and so this scene, which is forciby and
dramatically constructed, is one Of the blemishes
of the book IT,. I'll